"Well done." Even Yi Chunjun couldn't help but praise her. "Keep pressing until the bleeding stops completely, then apply the medicine again and bandage it properly. Let's carry her back."
People gradually dispersed, and Murong Xiao was taken away by Murong Hui in the chaos. Without his cries, the night returned to its quiet stillness.
Xiao Yuan stood there blankly, having experienced so much that night! When it was all over, she found that she didn't even have the strength to lift her legs and walk.
Yi Chunjun turned around, his chest stained with Pei Junwu's blood. She looked away, embarrassed to look at him. He had saved her and avenged her, yet she still doubted him.
He walked over and grabbed her hands tightly. It hurt! She still turned her face away from him. Was he going to scold her or yell at her? Her hands were injured, yet he gripped them so tightly, deliberately hurting her. Was it revenge? Anyway, he had always been ruthless and cruel.
The coolness on her fingers lessened the piercing pain, and she turned back in surprise to see him applying medicine to her fingers. She shuddered; she had misunderstood him again.
"Hmph." He snorted coldly, "Like an idiot! Doesn't know what's good for you!" After applying the medicine, he unceremoniously shook off her hand, walked straight into the door, and ignored her.
Before entering, she heard him instruct the veterans who were cleaning up the mess there: "Send her back!"
Suddenly, her nose stung, and tears streamed down her face without warning. She felt so sorry for him… She always suspected him of having ulterior motives, always misunderstood his intentions. Even if he was bad and cruel, she knew he had never harmed her.
The Flower Smile, Chapter 40: Luck or Not
Yi Chunjun walked into the room, glanced at Pei Junwu lying on the bed, and raised the corner of his mouth. "Feeling better?"
Pei Junwu also looked at him, a smile appearing on his lips that surprised him.
Yi Chunjun glanced away from him, frowned slightly, and then smiled as he asked Xiao Juyuan, who was standing beside him, "You must be exhausted too, taking care of him every step of the way for the past three days."
Xiao Juyuan shook his head. "Not tired."
"It's good that you're not tired. The things to come will probably be even more tiring." He chuckled, and sure enough, Pei Junwu and Xiao Juyuan stared at him blankly. "With Murong Xiao in such a state, the Murong family will definitely not let this go."
Neither Xiao Juyuan nor Pei Junwu spoke; they both lowered their eyes.
"As for Murong Mingji's attitude towards the Xiao family's treasure..." He looked at Juyuan and smiled, "Sending such a foolish son to make a fool of himself shows how desperate and indiscriminate they are. Now we have a perfect excuse for him to come and fight us openly."
Xiao Juyuan's eyelashes fluttered slightly. "If I had known this would happen, I should have killed him back then."
Yi Chunjun chuckled twice. "Juyuan, you don't understand your Brother Wu yet. He... it's not that he didn't want to kill him." He emphasized, giving Pei Junwu a meaningful glance. Pei Junwu glared at him, his face turning slightly red.
Xiao Juyuan's face turned cold. Yes, Brother Wu wanted to kill him because he wanted to rape Li Yuan'er!
"Saying that he had a son is pure nonsense. Those 'heroes' who are so greedy for the treasure that their eyes are practically bleeding, although they were intimidated by your brother Wu's skills at the birthday banquet, will not give up so easily. They are all still wandering around this area. If we kill Murong Xiao on the spot, Murong Mingji will shout and guarantee that they will all come back without exception. So we can only delay it."
"Then..." Xiao Juyuan frowned in confusion, "Since you knew all this, why did you still hurt Murong Xiao?"
“It took a while because I wasn’t here. Now that I’m back, do you really think I’ll wait until he has a son if I don’t kill him?” he laughed.
“But…” Xiao Juyuan stared at him. This man was becoming more and more unfathomable. Had he really left? Why did he seem to have witnessed everything that happened at the Pei family? No, it wasn't just what happened at the Pei family; he knew far too much!
Especially this time when he came back, the way he looked at her... always seemed to have seen through her secret. That half-smiling yet somewhat pitying look in his eyes always sent a chill down her spine.
"But I didn't kill him?" He smiled again. Yes, it was this kind of seemingly easy and harmless smile that was most chilling. "Xiao Yuan has already spoken, and I don't want to scare her."
Li Yuan'er, it's Li Yuan'er again!
Xiao Juyuan quickly lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes concealing all the emotions within them.
“Juyuan, you need to do something more important than taking care of Pei Junwu now.” He stopped smiling, his eyes shining brightly. “You need to make a clear count of how many able-bodied men the Pei family has, and from now on… start stockpiling food.”
Xiao Juyuan's face turned pale. "Is it really that serious?"
“It’s not serious. As long as nothing unexpected happens, we’re sure to win. It’s just that Pei Family Village is built on the mountain, so it’s better to be prepared. After this battle…” He looked at Pei Junwu and smiled, “Your Brother Wu will truly become the master of the martial arts world.”
Pei Junwu was also staring straight at him. "What do you want?"
"Ha, Brother Wu." He called him in Xiao Juyuan's tone, which made Pei Junwu glare at him again. "You really understand me more and more. It's not something I, Yi Chunjun, would do to let you shine while I put in all the effort. I want to learn the Sky-Supporting Mantra."
Pei Junwu and Xiao Juyuan were both stunned, Xiao Juyuan's face was especially pale.
Yi Chunjun smiled faintly at Xiao Juyuan, "I know. The dowry you were promised back then wasn't the Xiao family's treasure. It was guarded and protected by the Pei and Gui families on behalf of your Xiao family. They couldn't afford it and dared not accept it. Poor Wu-ge, the whole world envied you, but it turns out you're just a passing-by benefactor." He chuckled.
"Senior Brother Yi!" Xiao Juyuan frowned and snorted at him.
"Your dowry includes the Sky-Supporting Curse, which is kept in the treasure trove, right?" he asked.
Xiao Juyuan lowered her head, remaining noncommittal. Over the years, whenever she encountered a question she couldn't answer, she simply wouldn't answer. Not answering was always the right thing to do; it never failed her.
Sure enough, even Yi Chunjun thought she was tacitly agreeing, and continued, "Once Pei Junwu becomes the master of the martial arts world, no one will dare to provoke or cause trouble anymore. The Xiao family's treasure, you, and everyone else will be safe. I just want to learn that martial art; the conditions aren't too demanding, are they?"
Pei Junwu kept his mouth tightly shut. He couldn't say a word about the Xiao family's treasure or Juyuan's dowry. His father was right, he was just being dutiful! In the end, his dutifulness was nothing more than that of a servant! A servant who had climbed too high for his master!
He was actually somewhat envious of Yi Chunjun's ability to speak so frankly about the Xiao family's treasure and directly about the Sky-Supporting Curse. He... couldn't! For the past ten years, he had been her fiancé, her senior brother, and, more importantly, a loyal subject of the former dynasty who would protect her to the death!
Ten years have passed, and he still doesn't know how to treat her. Should he treat her with the intimacy and service of a wife? His father would accuse him of disrespecting his master. Should he treat her with the respect and obedience of a master? Kiku would then complain of his coldness and aloofness!
He was able to become a disciple of Zhu Liancheng because of her; he was able to learn the most advanced martial arts of his sect because he was fortunate enough to marry her!
He envied Yi Chunjun, he also wanted to do as he pleased, he also wanted to express his true feelings, he... also had a girl he admired, but all of this was just a luxury for him, for him, a servant who bore the legacy of his ancestors and relied on the favor of his master.
Everyone says he's lucky, but is he really lucky? Even he himself can't say for sure.
"How is it?" Yi Chunjun asked again.
Xiao Juyuan also looked up at him, her charming smile unchanged. "Senior Brother Yi, since you have clearly stated your conditions, I also want to know how much you are willing to pay, and whether it is worth it."
Yi Chunjun looked at her approvingly again. It was truly remarkable that a sixteen-year-old girl could be so shrewd and bold. "In the few days I was away, I raised one million taels of gold. Not to mention fighting with the petty thieves of the martial world, it would be enough for the imperial court to use to attack the Liao Kingdom for a year and a half."